Thaindian News

The very sad news of the former President of Philippines, Corazon Aquino’s death is greeting everyone this morning.

Aquino, is said to have lost the long drawn battle with colon cancer, a disease she had been diagnosed with since the March of 2008. Mai Mislang, the spokeswoman for Aquino’s son Philippine Senator Benigno Aquino II said that the former leader passed away at 3:18 a.m on Saturday, August 1st, 2009 (3:18 p.m on Friday ET) due to a cardio- respiratory arrest, at the Makati Medical Center.

The funeral arrangements are in the process of being planned out according to Mislang. The country’s consul- general in Atlanta, Roy Donato said that the Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has made the national announcement to observe a 10 day mourning period for the former president’s demise.

Donato said, “She was the agent of change in Philippine democracy, and almost all the Filipinos I know revered her during her presidency.”

It was because of the efforts of Corazon Aquino and her “people power” movement that had helped bring down the dictatorial regime of Ferdinand Marcos.

The leader is popularly known as Cory and she is her country’s and Asia’s first female president. She had served her term in office as the president over a period of 1986 to 1992. Years ago, in August 1983, her husband, opposition leader Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. had been assassinated by the forces of Marcos at the airport in Manila, while he was returning to the country from his exile. Before the assassination she had not been involved in the affairs of politics. Even in her advanced stages of the cancer she had continued to make public appearances till this year.